1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer assisted surgery generally and more specifically to computer assisted total hip replacement (THR) or hip arthroplasty operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Total hip replacement or arthroplasty operations have become increasingly common in the United States, with more than 300,000 such operations occurring annually. Many of the procedures will eventually require revision, due to one of any number of problems. Problems can arise with the implant, which can wear, degrade or even fracture. In other cases, dislocation of the replaced hip can occur, causing extreme pain (not to mention inconvenience and expense). The incidence of dislocation has remained at approximately 2-6 percent, in spite of improvements to technique and materials.
It is known that the incidence of post-surgical dislocation is related to the orientation of the hip replacement components, particularly to the angular orientation of the acetabular shell component in relation to the bony anatomy. See Lewinnek et al., “Dislocation after total hip-replacement Arthroplasties,” Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol. 60A, No. 2, PP. 217-220 (1978). The head and neck geometry of the implant is also thought to be a factor.
In spite of the published research, the typical surgeon has not adopted any sophisticated method of navigating hip replacement surgery, in spite of the availability of several techniques. The most prevalent method is to rely on an acetabular impactor tool with a handle placed at an angle predetermined so that if the handle is maintained at a level, horizontal orientation, the acetabular shell will be at a desired angle. This method fails to consider the considerable movement and variation in the patient's pelvic position during surgery; at worst it aligns the shell with the operating table (not necessarily the pelvis). More technological methods have been developed, including the sophisticated method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,411 (and related applications) to DiGioia et al. (2001). The method of DiGioia is an advance over the prior methods (which he summarizes authoritatively in his “Background” section).
DiGioia's method begins with extensive pre-operative imaging, including relatively expensive CT scanning. The pre-operative imagery is then input into a digital computer model, which performs extensive, three-dimensional modeling including range of motion simulations of the patient's anatomy in relation to a specific computer model of a particular implant. Next, in an intra-operative phase, the pre-operative models are registered with intra-operative optical tracking data: a very large number of points are sampled on the pelvis and femur, and the computer fits the data to the pre-operative model. Finally, the implant is positioned to align as closely as possible with the optimized computer model.
The method of DiGioia et al. is complex and requires sophisticated digital and radiological techniques. A need still exists for a simpler method of surgical navigation which will facilitate proper hip geometry with a minimum of pre-operative imagery and expense. It is frequently found that physicians are loath to adopt any methods, and particularly any computerized methods, which are unduly complex, expensive or time consuming. In this they may be forgiven, in light of the increasing economic constraints which burden the modern practice of medicine.
Thus, a need persists for an intra-operative computer assisted hip navigation system which is easily learned, rapidly executed, economically practical, and independent from expensive or exotic pre-operative radiological imagery.
Furthermore, there is a need for specific methods and apparatus which will facilitate tracking a patient's pelvic plane and a patient's femur, in connection with a computer assisted hip navigation system.